crankn.¹

Brit.

/kraŋk/, U.S.

/kræŋk/

Forms: Old English cranc-, Middle English–1600s cranke, 1600s– crank.

Etymology: Old English cranc in cranc-stæf, Middle English crank(e, a word rarely exemplified before the 17th cent. Apparently an ablaut-derivative of the verb crinc-an, cranc, crunc-en, found (but very rare) in Old English as a by-form of cring-an, crang, crung-en to fall in battle, of which the primitive meaning appears to have been ‘to draw oneself together in a bent form, to contract oneself stiffly, curl up’. These verbs are not known elsewhere in Germanic; but numerous derivatives occur in the other languages, connected with the two notions of ‘to bend together, crook, curl up’, and ‘to shrink, give way, become weak or ill’. English crank belongs to the literal sense-group, with the primary notion of something bent together or crooked; German and Dutch krank adjective ‘sick’, formerly ‘weak, slight, small,’ shows the figurative development.

1. A portion of an axis bent at right angles, used to communicate motion, or to change reciprocal into rotary motion, or the converse.

a. In early times chiefly used as a handle or treadle to turn a revolving axis by hand or foot.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > parts of tools generally > [noun] > handle > of specific tool

crankc1000

steal1377

pipe1397

pot-hook1397

shaft1530

fork-shafta1642

bell-handle1768

hasp1770

fettle1812

panhandle1890

c1000 Gerefa in Anglia IX. 263 Wulcamb, cip, amb, crancstæf.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 100 Cranke, instrument, cirillus (K.H.P. girgillus [= a reel for winding thread]).

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 100 Cranke of a welle, haustrum, haustra.

1617 J. Minsheu Ἡγεμὼν είς τὰς γλῶσσας: Ductor in Linguas The Cranke or winch of a Well, L. Haustrum.

1660 ‘R. D'Acres’ Art Water-drawing 11 Winches or cranks of wood or iron are also fitted to men's hands, thereby to make a round motion.

1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. x. 188 [The fly wheel of the lathe] hath an Iron Axis with a Crook or Cranck at one end.

1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. xiv. 244 Crank, the end of an Iron Axis turned Square down, and again turned Square to the first turning down, so that on the last turning down a Leather Thong is slip't, to Tread the Treddle-wheel about.

1735 Philos. Trans. 1733–4 (Royal Soc.) 38 403 A crank [of a pump] does not rise quite one third of its circle.

1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Crank, (1) the handle of a turnip-slicer, a ‘blower’, a grindstone, or any similar machine.

b. Later, as a device for converting circular into reciprocal motion, and now chiefly (as in the steam engine) reciprocal into circular motion.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > converters > cranks

winch1660

wince1688

crank1728

swingle1787

throw-crank1858

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Crank, a Contrivance in Machines, in manner of an Elbow..projecting out from an Axis, or Spindle; and serving by its Rotation, to raise and fall the Pistons of Engines for raising Water, &c.

1731 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 37 6 A quadruple Crank of cast iron.

1766 Barber Specif. Patent 865 6 Three cylinders..work a treble or other crank.

1771 Watt Let. in Muirhead W.'s Mech. Invent. (1854) II. 17 A crank of a sufficient sweep will be by much the sweetest motion.

1780 Pickard Specif. Patent 1263 A. B. represents a lever commonly called a crank..the pin of which crank is inserted into the end of a spear or carrier.

1862 S. Smiles Lives Engineers III. 85 The connecting-rods gave the motion to two pinions by cranks at right angles to each other.

attributive.1808 Watt in Muirhead W.'s Mech. Invent. III. 37 The true inventor of the crank rotative motion was the man..that first contrived the common foot lathe.

2. An elbow-shaped device in bell-hanging, whereby the rectilineal motion communicated to a bell-wire is changed in its direction, usually at right angles, as from horizontal to vertical or the reverse.

ΚΠ

1760 W. Mountaine in Philos. Trans. 1759 (Royal Soc.) 51 288 I found the bell-wire..to be intirely melted..but the effect ceased at the crank, which transmitted it to the chamber adjoining.

3. An elbow-shaped support or bracket.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > angle-bracket

bracket1627

fid1644

angle bracket1733

crank1769

angle bar1793

gusset18..

angle iron1819

angle plate1850

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Crank, is..an iron brace which supports the lanthorns on the poop-quarters.

1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 201 A semi-cylinder of wirework, balanced in its proper situation by means of two arms, or cranks.

1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 112 Cranks, pieces of iron shaped as an elbow, etc., and attached to the beams of the quarter-deck for the capstan-bars to be stowed thereon.

4. A machine for the punishment of criminals sentenced to hard labour, consisting of a revolving disc to which a regulated pressure can be applied, and which the prisoner is required to turn a certain number of times each day.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > prison > [noun] > instruments of punishment in > revolving disc

crank1847

1847 2nd Rep. Surveyor of Prisons 12 Means should exist of rendering the discipline..more stringent..by placing crank machinery in the cells.

1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Crank, (2) a machine used in some prisons for finding employment for refractory prisoners. There was one in the now disused prison at Kirton-in-Lindsey.

5. Scottish. = cramp n.² 4b.

ΚΠ

1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Crank, an iron attached to the feet in curling, to prevent sliding on the ice.

Compounds

crank-arm n.

ΚΠ

1889 P. N. Hasluck Model Engineer's Handybk. ii. 14 The bed-plate is..cut away to allow the crank-arm and cross-head to pass.

1911 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 1005/1 In a turning piece, the perpendicular let fall from its connected point upon its axis of rotation is the arm or crank-arm.

1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 25/1 A flexible brush should be used to brush away any dust..at both ends of the crank arms.

crank-and-comb n. a contrivance for stripping the carded cotton from a carding-engine.

ΚΠ

1836 A. Ure Cotton Manuf. Great Brit. II. 35 This is the crank-and-comb contrivance..This elegant instrument takes off the cotton in a fine transparent fleece.

crank-axle n. (a) the driving-axle of an engine or machine; (b) a carriage axle with the ends bent twice at a right angle, so as to lower the carriage-body and yet allow the use of large wheels (see cranked adj.).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > axle > types of

crank-axle1725

floating axle1907

tandem axle1956

tag axle1971

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > axle

axle-treec1400

axisa1620

arbor1659

ax-tree1659

axle1730

turning-beam1766

stud centre1851

stub-axle1875

crank-axle1887

banjo axle1922

1725 J. T. Desaguliers Course Exper. Philos. (1744) II. 516 [The wheels] are fitted to crank axles, by which improvement the [Fire] engine runs upon larger Wheels, without raising the Cistern.

1887 Viscount Bury & G. L. Hillier Cycling (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) xiii. 377 Geared by chains to fixed pulleys on the crank-axle.

crank-case n. the case or covering in which the crank-shaft of a motor engine is enclosed.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > other parts

thermo-siphon1834

crank-case1878

manifolda1884

hot tube1889

sump1894

hit-and-miss governor1897

engine pit1903

retard1903

head1904

gasket1915

gravity tank1917

cylinder block1923

transfer case1923

swirl chamber1934

manifolding1938

ignition switch1952

catalytic converter1955

small block1963

cat1988

1878 Technol. Dict. (ed. 3) 175/2 Crank-case, das Kurbelhelft, das Kurbelfutteral.

1900 Autocar 29 Sept. 932/2 Working upon a pin secured to the crank case, is a second and larger pinion wheel.

1904 Motor Boat 29 Sept. 228/1 Lamp oil is a rather imprudent thing to carry aboard, as some unwise friend may mistake it for engine lubricant and put a charge or two into the crank-case.

1920 Cornhill Mag. Sept. 311 For forgetting to put any oil in the crank-case, he was stopped fourteen days' pay.

1949 Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) ii. 11 Crankcase sump, that portion of the engine in which lubricating oil is collected and led to the oil pumping system.

crank-chamber n. (see quot. 1902).

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > cylinders > parts of

spigot1889

crank-chamber1902

1902 R. J. Mecredy in A. C. Harmsworth et al. Motors & Motor-driving (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) vii. 135 The crank chamber, or base chamber, as it is usually termed, forms the base of the cylinder.

1904 Motor Boat 22 Sept. 215/2 Each cylinder has a bore of 90 mm…; both are cast together..and are mounted on a cast iron crank chamber.

1922 Times 20 June 8/5 The cylinders are cast in one with the crank-chamber, a practice forgivable in a low-priced chassis.

crank-hatches n. (see quot.).

ΚΠ

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Crank-hatches are raised coamings on a steamer's deck, to form coverings for the cranks of the engines below.

crank-hook n. the rod which connects the treadle and the crank in a foot-lathe.

crank-joint n.

ΚΠ

1839 Knickerbocker Mag. 13 346 He..commenced..oiling the piston-rod and crank-joints.

crank-pin n. the pin by which the connecting-rod is attached to the crank.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > pins

crank-pin1839

piston pin1853

cross-head pin1887

1839 R. S. Robinson Naut. Steam Engine Explained 86 The crank pin is of wrought-iron.

1849 J. Weale Rudim. Dict. Terms Archit. i. 126/2 Crank-pin, the cylindrical piece joining the ends of the crank-arms, and attached to the connecting-rod, or, in vibrating engines, to the piston-rod: if the crank has only one arm, the pin projects from the end of it.

crank-pit n. a pit in which a crank revolves.

ΚΠ

1893 Daily News 17 Oct. 3/5 The body of the deceased was found in the crank pit.

crank-shaft n. the shaft driven by a crank.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > shaft > [noun] > others

axle-tree1659

axle-shaft1837

propeller shaft1839

crank-shaft1854

sub-shaft1859

driveshaft1860

half-time shaft1861

cardan joint1868

line shafting1872

thrusting-shaft1906

1854 E. Ronalds & T. Richardson Knapp's Chem. Technol. (ed. 2) I. 147 The rotation of the crank-shaft will put in motion the bevel-wheels.

crank-wheel n. a wheel which acts as a crank; esp. one having near its circumference a pin to which the end of a connecting-rod is attached as to a crank-pin; a disc-crank.

ΚΠ

1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 54 Crank-wheel, for spinning of lines, box-cord, etc. is fixed on an iron spindle.

Draft additions March 2006

slang (originally U.S.). An amphetamine drug, esp. methamphetamine.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > stimulant drug(s) > specific stimulant drugs

amyl nitrite1881

Methedrine1939

Dexedrine1942

benzylpiperazine1947

dexamphetamine1949

dextro-amphetamine1949

methamphetamine1949

Drinamyl1950

benny1955

dexie1956

purple heart1961

crystal1964

French blue1964

meth1966

speed1967

splash1967

purple1968

crank1969

crystal meth1969

crystal methamphetamine1970

dex1984

ice1989

BZP1997

tik2004

1969 ETC. June 173 Crank, crink, cris, cristina—methamphetamine in powdered form.

1986 D. M. Martin in D. M. Martin & P. Y. Sussman Committing Journalism (1993) i. 40 Honey Bear was known to shoot a load of ‘crank’ and go walking down a tier advertising favors at every cell he passed.

1996 Afro-Amer. Red Star (Electronic ed.) 30 Mar. a1 Widespread smoking of crank was at one time restricted to Mexico and Hawaii, but is now prevalent on the West Coast.

2003 Time Out N.Y. 3 Apr. 155/1 Methamphetamine was created in the Land of the Rising Sun in 1919, but the good ol' U. S. of A. has perfected crank and turned it into a booming industry.

Draft additions June 2016

crankset n. U.S. a component of the drive mechanism of a bicycle consisting of one or more chain rings and two centrally mounted cranks to which the pedals are attached; cf. chainset n. at chain n. Additions.

ΚΠ

1921 Boys' Life May 31 (advt.) Seamless steel tubing; drop forged parts; two-piece crank set;..and the best equipment make Iver Johnson the King of Bicycles.

1972 Pop. Mech. June 52 d Newer cranksets have ball bearings in a nylon race, so they wont fall out all over the place.

2005 G. Andrews Mountain Bike Maintenance x. 153/2 Removing the crankset is simple. It requires no special crank pullers or wrenchers.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

crankn.²

Brit.

/kraŋk/, U.S.

/kræŋk/

Forms: Also 1500s–1600s cranck(e.

Etymology: Of the same origin as crank n.¹, and possibly the same word, with the original sense ‘crooking, crook’; but the two words had been differentiated before the earliest instances of this.

a. A crook, bend, winding, meandering; a winding or crooked path, course, or channel.

ΘΠ

the world > space > shape > curvature > series of curves > [noun] > winding curve(s)

folda1250

windinga1387

wrinkling1387

revolution?a1425

wrinkle1430

crink1567

crank1572

cringle-crangle1573

crinkle1596

crankle1598

crinkle-crankle1598

meander1603

anfractuosity1612

ins and outs1655

sinuationa1676

insinuationa1684

anfractus1719

sinuosity1720

flexuosity1737

evolution1765

cringle1808

wriggle1825

voluminosity1841

squiggle1902

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > [noun] > indirectness of course > moving in winding course > instance of or a winding course

windinga1387

anfractus?a1425

ambage1537

crank1572

error1594

indenture1598

maze1598

meander1631

circumvolution1633

anfracture1657

1572 J. Jones Benefit Bathes of Buckstones f. 12 Bowling in allayes..eyther in playne or longe allayes, or in suche as haue Cranckes with halfe bowles.

1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 9 How he might easely winde out of the turnings and cranckes of the Labyrinthe.

1580 T. North tr. Plutarch Lives (1676) 846 Aratus..was out of his path he should have found..and with many crooks and cranks went to the foot of the Castle.

a1599 E. Spenser Canto Mutabilitie vii. lii, in Faerie Queene (1609) sig. Ii3 So many turning cranks these [the planets] haue, so many crookes.

1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxii. xxxv. 413 a [Anniball] woon the verie tops of the Alpes, through by-lanes and blind crankes.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) i. i. 135 The Crankes and Offices of man, The strongest Nerues, and small inferiour Veines.

a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) i. ii. 28 Meete you no ruine, but the Soldier in The Cranckes, and turnes of Thebs?

a1640 T. Risdon Chorogr. Surv. Devon (1811) (modernized text) 63 Exe..runneth a long course with his crooked cranks.

1909 M. B. Saunders Litany Lane i. v A glimpse..of grey west tower half hidden by high buildings, then reappearing by some quaint crank of street or turning.

†b. figurative. A crooked or deceitful way; a deceit, wile, sleight. Obsolete.

ΘΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > [noun] > a trick, deception

wrenchc888

swikec893

braida1000

craftOE

wile1154

crookc1175

trokingc1175

guile?c1225

hocket1276

blink1303

errorc1320

guileryc1330

sleightc1340

knackc1369

deceitc1380

japec1380

gaudc1386

syllogism1387

mazec1390

mowa1393

train?a1400

trantc1400

abusionc1405

creekc1405

trickc1412

trayc1430

lirtc1440

quaint?a1450

touch1481

pawka1522

false point?1528

practice1533

crink1534

flim-flamc1538

bobc1540

fetcha1547

abuse1551

block1553

wrinklec1555

far-fetch?a1562

blirre1570

slampant1577

ruse1581

forgery1582

crank1588

plait1589

crossbite1591

cozenage1592

lock1598

quiblin1605

foist1607

junt1608

firk1611

overreach?1615

fob1622

ludification1623

knick-knacka1625

flam1632

dodge1638

gimcrack1639

fourbe1654

juggle1664

strategy1672

jilt1683

disingenuity1691

fun1699

jugglementa1708

spring1753

shavie1767

rig?1775

deception1794

Yorkshire bite1795

fakement1811

fake1829

practical1833

deceptivity1843

tread-behind1844

fly1861

schlenter1864

Sinonism1864

racket1869

have1885

ficelle1890

wheeze1903

fast one1912

roughie1914

spun-yarn trick1916

fastie1931

phoney baloney1933

fake-out1955

okey-doke1964

mind-fuck1971

1588 J. Harvey Discoursiue Probl. conc. Prophesies 68 To occupie..the commons..by flimflams, wily cranks, and sleightie knacks of the maker.

1614 D. Dyke Myst. Selfe-deceiuing ii. 16 A cunning cranke of deepe and deuilish deceitfulnesse.

1644 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (ed. 2) To Parl. sig. A4 The waies of the Lord, strait and faithfull..not full of cranks and contradictions.

†2.

a. A tortuous or somewhat inaccessible hole or crevice; a cranny. Obsolete.

1562 J. Heywood Sixt Hundred Epigrammes c, in Wks. sig. Ee Suche crankis, such cony holes.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 274 The root is giuen to haue cranks and holes, and those full of mud or durt.

1612 W. Parkes Curtaine-drawer 10 Exclude the light from the crankes and cranies of our chambers.

b. Sometimes used as = Chink, crevice, crack: but probably by confusion with crack and cranny.

ΘΠ

the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > chink, crevice, or cleft

chinec888

cleftc1374

crevice1382

crannyc1440

crack1530

crannel1534

chink1552

crank1552

gash1575

chaum1601

chawn1601

fissure1609

case1778

1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Crannye or cranke in an earthen potte, ignea.

1861 C. Norton Lady of La Garaye Prol. 47 There daylight peeps through many a crank.

c. figurative.

1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine Citie of God ii. xvii. 80 There is no cranke, no secret, in all these tongues, but he hath searcht it out.

1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. lxxxiii. sig. Y7^v The politicke heart is too full of crankes, and angles, for the discovery of a plain familiar.

3. A twist or fanciful turn of speech; a humorous turn, a verbal trick or conceit. Usually in quips and cranks, after Milton. Also, anything fantastic in behaviour, gesture, or action.

ΘΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > wit, wittiness > wit with words > [noun] > instance of

crank1594

wits, fits, and fancies1595

jerk1598

quirk1600

tongue-squib1628

dictery1632

repartee1637

quip1645

good thing1671

bon mot1735

a play on (also upon) words1761

sally1781

wordplay1794

southboarda1805

mot1813

smartism1830

1594 2nd Rep. Dr. Faustus vi. sig. D Such cranks, such lifts, careers and gambalds.

1645 J. Milton L'Allegro in Poems 31 Quips and Cranks, and wanton Wiles.

1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Crank..3. Any conceit formed by twisting or changing, in any manner, the form or meaning of a word.

1805 T. Moore To Lady H. v To play at riddles, quips, and cranks.

a1822 P. B. Shelley Witch of Atlas li, in Posthumous Poems (1824) 46 Many quips and cranks She played upon the water.

1873 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens IV. xix. vi. 37 Wolsey was driven to quips and cranks which made the King suspect him.

4. An eccentric notion or action; a mental twist put into practice; a crotchet, whim, caprice.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [noun] > slight madness > crankiness or eccentricity > idea

worm?a1534

frenzy1632

twist1811

fad1834

fantod1839

crank1848

marotte1852

faddity1892

1848 E. Bulwer-Lytton Harold II. vi. i. 72 These be new cranks, with a vengeance; we shall be choosing German, or Saracen, or Norman next.

18.. T. Carlyle in N. Webster Suppl. Subject to sudden cranks; a headlong, very positive, loud, dull, and angry kind of man.

1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 7 June 6/1 The son..does not share what he probably deems the ‘crank’ of his sire.

5. colloquial (originally U.S.). A person with a mental twist; one who is apt to take up eccentric notions or impracticable projects; esp. one who is enthusiastically possessed by a particular crotchet or hobby; an eccentric, a monomaniac. [This is probably a back-formation < cranky adj.¹ 4.] Also attributive and in other combinations.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [noun] > slight madness > crankiness or eccentricity > person

fantastical1589

fantastic1598

earwig brain1599

extravagant1627

fanatic1644

energumen1660

original1675

toy-pate1702

gig1777

quiz1780

quoz?1780

rum touch1800

crotcheteer1815

pistol1828

eccentric1832

case1833

originalist1835

cure1856

crotchet-monger1874

curiosity1874

crank1881

crackpot1883

faddist1883

schwärmer1884

hard case1892

finger1899

mad hatter1905

nut1908

numéro1924

screwball1933

wack1938

fruitcake1942

odd bod1942

oddball1943

ghoster1953

raver1959

kook1960

flake1968

woo-woo1972

zonky1972

wacko1977

headbanger1981

1833 in J. P. Dunn Indiana (1919) II. 1124 Uncle Sam's ‘Old Mother Bank’ Is managed by a foreign crank.

1881 Times 22 Dec. 3/4 Guiteau continued, ‘You have got a lot of stuff there. It is not in your handwriting. I guess it must have been contributed by some crank.’

1882 Pall Mall Gaz. 14 Jan. 4/1 Persons whom the Americans since Guiteau's trial have begun to designate as ‘cranks’—that is to say, persons of disordered mind, in whom the itch of notoriety supplies the lack of any higher ambition.

1889 Longman's Mag. May 28 It is the brightness of enthusiasm. Every crank has such eyes.

1889 G. B. Shaw in Star 6 Dec. 2/4 I moved amidst cranks, Bohemians, unbelievers, agitators, and.. riff-raff of all sorts.

1906 Nature 8 Nov. 25/2 A crank is defined as a man who cannot be turned. These men are all cranks.

1924 G. B. Stern Tents of Israel vii. 97 Danny remained at his crank school in Hampstead.

1934 D. Thomas Let. Jan. (1987) 40 Don't think I'm regaling you with some crank-ridden, pornographic notion.

1934 H. G. Wells Exper. in Autobiogr. I. v. 261 The normal Fabian gathering had a real horror of the ‘currency Crank’, as it termed anyone who ventured to say that money has ways and tricks of its own.

1949 A. Koestler Promise & Fulfilm. ii. v. 274 More crank visitors. Among them a German who cures diseases by soul-waves and mana.

1961 M. Spark Prime of Miss Jean Brodie i. 7 It has been suggested again that I should apply for a post at one of the progressive schools... But I shall not apply for a post at a crank school.

1968 D. Hopkinson Incense-tree iii. 29 As I went to a crank school, it followed that some of the parents of my friends should be cranks.

6. dialect. [Apparently belongs chiefly to this word, with sense of ‘something wrong’ (compare wrong n.² < wring to twist, French tort < Latin tortus); but a physical comparison of pains or spasms to crank action is also possible.]

ΚΠ

1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words

1888 B. Lowsley Gloss. Berks. Words & Phrases Cranks, aches and slight ailments. A person is said to be full of ‘crinks and cranks’ when generally complaining of ill-health.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

† crankn.³

Forms: Also 1500s crainke.

Etymology: apparently < Dutch or German krank sick, ill; also formerly in German as noun, ‘one that is sick or ill’. (The 16th cent. vagabonds' cant contains words taken directly from continental languages.)

Thieves' slang. Obsolete.

(In full, counterfeit crank.) A rogue who feigned sickness in order to move compassion and get money.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > poverty > mendicancy > [noun] > beggar > begging impostor > who feigns sickness

crank1567

1567 T. Harman Caueat for Commen Cursetors (new ed.) sig. Dii^v These that do counterfet the Cranke be yong knaues and yonge harlots, that depely dissemble the falling sicknes. For the Cranke in their language is the fallyng euyll..Ther came earely in the morninge a Counterfet Cranke vnder my lodgynge..thys Cranke there lamentably lamenting.

a1590 Marriage Wit & Wisdom (1846) 13 She sent me the Counterfait crainke for to play.

1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 167 There are some counterfeit crankes..who vpon some occasion haue by meere knauery fained themselues such.

1624 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy (ed. 2) i. ii. iv. vi. 142 Iodocus Damhoderius..hath some notable examples of such counterfeit Crancks.

a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Beggers Bush ii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Kk3^v/2 Jarkman, or Patrico, Cranke, or Clapperdudgeon.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2021).

crankn.⁴

Etymology: Compare crank v.²

Scottish.

A harsh or grating sound.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > harsh or discordant quality > [noun] > sound

ganglinga1387

noise?a1425

jarring1555

jangling1581

discord1589

caterwauling1594

latration1623

tingle-tanglea1635

jar1669

crank1786

jangle1795

discordancy1796

inharmony1799

discordance1801

parrot-house1850

soundclash1925

ear-bender1940

1786 R. Burns Poems 27 When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks Are my poor Verses!

1800 Gloss. to Burns (Jam.) Crank, the noise of an ungreased wheel.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2021).

crankadj.¹adv.

Brit.

/kraŋk/, U.S.

/kræŋk/

Forms: Also 1500s–1600s cranck(e.

Etymology: Of obscure origin: not easily connected with the other adjectives and nouns of same spelling.

A. adj.¹

†1. Rank, lusty, vigorous, in good condition.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > resistant to disease, etc.

strongeOE

stalworthc1175

starka1250

stiff1297

stalworthyc1300

vigorousc1330

stoura1350

lustyc1374

marrowya1382

sturdyc1386

crank1398

robust1490

vigorious1502

stalwart1508

hardy1548

robustious1548

of force1577

rustical1583

marrowed1612

rustic1620

robustic1652

solid1741

refractory1843

salted1864

resistant1876

saulteda1879

the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > healthy

wholeeOE

isoundOE

i-sundfulc1000

ferec1175

soundc1175

fish-wholea1225

forthlyc1230

steadfasta1300

wella1300

safec1300

tidya1325

halec1330

quartc1330

well-faringc1330

well-tempered1340

well-disposeda1398

wealyc1400

furnished1473

mighty?a1475

quartful?c1475

good1527

wholesomea1533

crank1548

healthful1550

healthy1552

hearty1552

healthsome1563

well-affected?1563

disposed1575

as sound as a bell1576

firm1577

well-conditioned1580

sound1605

unvaletudinary1650

all right1652

valid1652

as sound as a (alsoany) roach1655

fair-like1663

hoddy1664

wanton1674

stout?1697

trig1704

well-hained1722

sprack1747

caller1754

sane1755

finely1763

bobbish1780

cleverly1784

right1787

smart1788

fine1791

eucratic1795

nobbling1825

as right as a trivet1835

first rate1841

in fine, good, high, etc., feather1844

gay1855

sprackish1882

game ball1905

abled1946

well-toned1952

a hundred per cent1960

oke1960

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) xi. xi. 396 Snowe nourysshyth and fedyth good herbes, and makyth theym cranke.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark ii. f. 20 He who was a litle before bedred..was now cranke and lustie.

1660 J. Howell Lex. Tetraglotton To Tru Philol. [The English language alters] sometimes the sense of the words which she borrows; as she useth crank for being lively and well, whereas 'tis sick in Dutch.

2. Lively, brisk, in high spirits; lusty, sprightly, merry; aggressively high-spirited, disposed to exult or triumph, ‘cocky’. Now dialect and in U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > pleasure > merriment > [adjective]

blitheOE

merryOE

golikc1175

lustya1225

playfulc1225

jollyc1305

merrya1350

jocund?c1380

galliardc1386

in (also on) a (merry, etc.) pinc1395

mirthfula1400

baudec1400

gayc1400

jovy1426

jocantc1440

crank1499

envoisiesa1500

as merry as a cricket1509

pleasant1530

frolic?1548

jolious1575

gleeful1586

buxom1590

gleesome1590

festival1592

laughter-loving1592

disposed1593

jucund1596

heartsomec1600

jovial1607

jovialist1610

laughsome1612

jocundary1618

gaysome1633

chirpinga1637

jovialissime1652

airy1654

festivous1654

hilarous1659

spleneticala1661

cocket1671

cranny1673

high1695

vogie1715

raffing?1719

festal1724

as merry (or lively) as a grig1728

hearty1755

tittuping1772

festive1774

fun-loving1776

mirthsome1787

Falstaffian1809

cranky1811

laughful1825

as lively as a cricket1832

hurrah1835

hilarious1838

Bacchic1865

laughterful1874

griggish1879

banzai1929

slap-you-on-the-back1932

the mind > emotion > pride > self-assertiveness > [adjective]

crousea1400

crank1499

cockish1551

forward1561

forthyc1565

forthputting?1577

perching1579

perk1579

perking?1584

officious1596

pratchant1596

putting-forth1621

obtrusive1652

petulcous1661

pushing1682

coxy1728

cocky1768

bumptious1801

furthy1808

upsetting1817

perky1820

self-asserting1821

protrusive1841

self-assertive1849

aggressive1855

self-assertory1867

perkisha1870

pushful1871

pushy1874

forritsome1894

chesty1900

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > lively, vivacious, or animated

jollyc1325

lightsomea1382

kedgec1440

fledge?1461

crank1499

frisky?a1500

sprightya1522

frisk1528

sprightful1550

quick-spirited1552

cranking1567

lively1567

quick-sprighted1579

aleger1590

bright-eyed1590

firking1594

sprightly1594

spirituous1601

great-stomached1607

spirity1615

spiritous1628

lifesomec1635

vivacious1645

rattlingc1650

quick-set1653

airy1654

animated1660

sparklinga1704

bob1721

vivace1721

animate1801

high-lifed1859

sassy1859

chippy1865

sparky1883

high-keyed1893

high life1903

peppy1914

pepful1915

jazzy1917

upbeat1947

zappy1969

sparkly1979

1499 Promptorium Parvulorum (Pynson) sig. di^v/2 Corage or cranke, crassus, coragiosus.

c1525 Bk. Mayd Emlyn sig. B.ii She was full ranke And of condycyons cranke And redy was alwaye.

1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. sig. D.iiij The Scottes..shewed themselfes vpon sundry bruntes, very cranke & brag.

1592 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) vii. xxxvii. 161 Princes Fauoures often make the fauored too cranke.

1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. H2 This man at Armes, has..some friend in a corner, or else hee durst not bee so cranke.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Ioyeux As crank as a Cocke Sparrow.

1655 W. Gurnall Christian in Armour: 1st Pt. 303 Would not our blood much more grow too rank, and we too crank and wanton, if we should feed long on such luscious food?

a1677 I. Barrow Serm. Several Occasions (1678) 453 It becometh them..to be jocund and crank in their humour.

a1716 R. South 12 Serm. (1717) VI. 23 How came they to grow so extremely Crank and Confident?

1736 S. Pegge Alphabet of Kenticisms Crank, merry, cheery.

1856 H. B. Stowe Dred I. 317 If you strong electioners didn't think you were among the elect, you wouldn't be so crank about it.

1860 J. G. Holland Miss Gilbert's Career xxi. 385 We feel pretty crank about having a book writer here in Crampton.

†B. adv.

Boldly, briskly, lustily. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adverb]

hardlyeOE

strongeOE

hardOE

fastOE

starklyOE

stalworthlyc1175

starkc1225

mainlyc1300

fellc1330

snellc1330

stout1338

wightlya1340

sadlya1375

sharplyc1380

tough1398

stoutly1399

throa1400

wighta1400

lustilyc1400

sorec1400

vigourslyc1400

stiff1422

vigoriouslya1450

vigorouslya1450

actuallya1470

stourlyc1480

forcely?a1500

lustly1529

fricklyc1540

dingilya1555

livelily?1565

crankly1566

forcibly1578

crank1579

wightily?a1600

proudly1600

energetically1609

stiffly1623

ding-dong1628

greenly1633

hard and fast1646

slashingly1659

thwackingly1660

warmlya1684

robustly1709

sonsily1729

forcefullya1774

vim1843

zippily1924

vibrantly1926

punchily1934

zingily1951

1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 46 As cocke on his dunghill, crowing cranck.

1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne v. 197 Since thee he mates so cranke.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

crankadj.²

Brit.

/kraŋk/, U.S.

/kræŋk/

Etymology: Of obscure origin, appearing first in the combination crank-sided adj. The early explanations suggest association with the Dutch and Frisian krengd (of a ship) laid or lying over on its side, past participle of krengen, originally to apply pressure to, push over, spec. to lay or cause (a ship) to fall upon her side, e.g. in careening, also intransitive, to incline or lie on one side, as a ship does when her cargo shifts in the hold. See Dale, and Doornkaat Koolman Ostfries. Wbch. Possibly this foreign word was caught up, and confused with the native crank.

Nautical.

Liable to lean over or capsize: said of a ship when she is built too deep or narrow, or has not sufficient ballast to carry full sail. crank by the ground (see quots. 1696, 1704).

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel with reference to qualities or attributes > [adjective] > not seaworthy or unstable

walt1539

crank-sided1626

crank1696

walty1702

over-floaty1705

lopsided1711

tender1723

innavigable1755

unseaworthy1820

sick1854

cranky1861

1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) at Crank A ship is said to be crank by the Ground when she is narrow-floor'd [1706 adds] so..that she cannot be brought on Ground, without danger of being overthrown, or at least of wringing her Sides.

1702 J. Logan in Mem. Hist. Soc. Pennsylvania (1870) IX. 82 Through a jealousy of the vessel being crank.

1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Crank, the Sea Term for a Ship that cannot bear her Sails, or can bear but a small Sail for fear of oversetting: and they say she is Crank by the Ground, when she cannot be brought on Ground without danger of overthrowing her.

1771 Ann. Reg. 1770 67/2 At present she is so cranke she cannot carry sail.

1849 H. W. Longfellow Building of Ship in Seaside & Fireside 9 Strangest of all, Towered the Great Harry, crank and tall.

1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xxiii. 380 That crank little boat with its top-heavy sails.

figurative.1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. ii. 17 I have heard as how you came by your lame foot, by having your upper-decks overstowed with liquor, whereby you became crank, and rolled, d'ye see.1808 T. Moore Corruption & Intolerance 4 Things, which..Still serve to ballast, with convenient words, A few crank arguments for speeching Lords.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

crankadj.³

Brit.

/kraŋk/, U.S.

/kræŋk/

Etymology: A group of senses connected with crank n.¹, crank n.² and cranky adj.¹

1. ‘Crooked, distorted’ (Jamieson); angularly twisted or bent. Scottish.

ΚΠ

1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) Crooked, distorted, Aberd[eenshire], Mearns; as crank-handed, a crank hand.

1892 J. Mather Poems 252 There stood the old oak tree..No wonder he is crank and grim.

†2. In figurative sense of ‘twisted, angular’; crabbed, awkward or difficult to pronounce, understand, or execute. Obsolete or Scottish.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > difficulty > [adjective]

arvethc885

uneathOE

arvethlichc1000

evilc1175

hardc1175

deara1225

derfa1225

illc1330

wickeda1375

uneasy1398

difficul?a1450

difficile?1473

difficulta1527

unready1535

craggy1582

spiny1604

tough1619

uphill1622

shrewda1626

spinousa1638

scabrous1646

spinose1660

rugged1663

cranka1745

tight1764

thraward1818

nasty1828

upstream1847

awkward1860

pricklyc1862

bristling1871

sticky1871

rocky1873

dodgy1898

challengeful1927

solid1943

ball-busting1944

challenging1975

a1745 J. Swift Direct. Birthday Song in Wks. (1765) VIII. ii. 156 A skilful critic justly blames Hard, tough, crank, gutt'ral, harsh, stiff names.

1790 A. Shirrefs Poems Gloss. A crank job, a work attended with difficulty, or requiring ingenuity in the execution.

1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) Hard, difficult; as, ‘a crank word’, a word hard to be understood.

3. Infirm, weak, shaky in health; = cranky adj.¹ 1 dialect. [Compare Dutch and German krank.]

ΚΠ

1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry Gloss. Crank, infirm, weak, in bad condition.

1881 S. Evans Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) Crank, sick, ailing.

4. Of machinery: In a loose, shaky, or crazy condition; out of order, working with difficulty; = cranky adj.¹ 3.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [adjective] > working with difficulty

crank1833

cranky1862

1833 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus i. iii, in Fraser's Mag. Nov. 589/2 The machinery of laughter took some time to get in motion, and seemed crank and slack.

1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. ii. i. 102 This Convention is unfortunately the crankest of machines.

1876 Times 11 Nov. 9/2 The crank machinery of the double government would..enfeeble every effort of the State.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

crankv.¹

Brit.

/kraŋk/, U.S.

/kræŋk/

Etymology: < crank n.¹, crank n.², which yield a number of isolated senses.

I. [ < crank n.² 1, 2]

†1. intransitive. To twist and turn about; to move with a sharply winding course, to zigzag. Obsolete.Shakespeare's phr. to come cranking in is humorously echoed in the later quots. without regard to its strict sense.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > change direction of movement [verb (intransitive)] > move in winding course

to turn and winda1398

wreathea1500

twine1553

indent1567

virea1586

crank1594

to dance the hay or hays1600

maze1605

serpent1606

to indent the way1612

cringlea1629

indenture1631

circumgyre1634

twist1635

glomerate1638

winda1682

serpentine1767

meander1785

zigzag1787

zag1793

to worm one's way1822

vandyke1828

crankle1835

thread the needle1843

switchback1903

rattlesnake1961

zig1969

1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Eiij The purblind hare..He crankes and crosses with a thousand doubles.

1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 iii. i. 95 See how this riuer comes me cranking in, And cuts me from the best of all my land, A huge halfe moone, a monstrous scantle out.

1830 M. R. Mitford Our Village IV. 325 Here and there, too, farm-houses and cottages, half hidden by cherry orchards..come cranking into the meadows.

1891 Sat. Rev. 12 Dec. 664/1 Here is Professor Finn Magnusen comes me cranking in..and gives a totally different rendering to the Runes.

†2. transitive. To wrinkle minutely with parallel ridges and furrows, to crinkle. Also to crank in.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > corrugation > corrugate [verb (transitive)] > ridge > minutely

crankle1594

crisp1632

crank1660

crimp1772

1660 J. Childrey Britannia Baconica 75 They were streaked and cranked like a Cockle-shell.

1660 J. Childrey Britannia Baconica 76 Other little stones..that were cranked in like a Cockle-shell, but deeper, and not so thick together.

1660 J. Childrey Britannia Baconica 78 There is an apparent difference between the Muscle stone, and the true Muscle of the sea, both in the shape..and in the cranking of it.

3. dialect. (See quots.)

ΚΠ

1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words Crank..(4) to mark crossways on bread-and-butter to please a child. Kent.

1887 W. D. Parish & W. F. Shaw Dict. Kentish Dial. Crank, to mark cross-wise.

II. [ < crank n.¹]

4. transitive.

a. To bend in the shape of a crank, i.e. with two (or four) right angles; to make crankshaped. (Also, to crank down.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > angularity > make angular or furnish with angles or corners [verb (transitive)] > bend at an angle

crank1793

knee1808

1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) 197 Each end was also cranked about an inch, so as to set the transverse part of the bars, clear of the copper sash frame.

1834 N. W. Cundy Inland Transit (ed. 2) 56 The axle of the greater wheels is cranked.

1842 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 3 ii. 349 An excellent specimen of the low-chested cart, obtained by cranking down the axles.

1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 138 Tools are often cranked..without any idea of the object to be gained.

b. To attach a crank to, furnish with a crank.

5. To fasten with a crank: see crank n.¹ 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > relative position > support > [verb (transitive)] > by other specific means

crank1879

hand-hold1940

1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 175/1 The edge-plate..should run from one extremity to the other, commencing at the hind bottom bar, on to which it should be cranked.

6. Scottish. To shackle (a horse).

ΚΠ

1822 J. Hogg Three Perils of Man I. 267 As for the reward of presumption, it is in Scotland to be crankit before and kicked behind.

7. To lift or draw up by means of a crank.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > raising > make to go up or cause to rise [verb (transitive)] > raise by mechanical instrument > with a winch, crank, etc.

to wind upc1275

winch1529

upwind1600

parbuckle1768

crank1883

whorl1886

to turn up1911

1883 Lathrop in Harper's Mag. Aug. 332/1 He..cranks his prey up [a steep incline] at the rate of 2000 people a day.

a. To move or operate (a motor engine) by a crank.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > operate internal-combustion engine [verb (transitive)] > by crank

crank1908

1908 Smart Set June 91 The chauffeur..jumped out, and began to crank her up.

1909 F. R. Jones Gas Engine 181 Small motors are ‘cranked’ or otherwise turned by hand.

1909 F. R. Jones Gas Engine 184 Until the motor has been cranked up to high speed.

1920 V. W. Pagé Automobile Starting (ed. 6) 424 If the starting motor rotates but does not crank the engine.

1920 V. W. Pagé Automobile Starting (ed. 6) 453 And still the starting motor makes no effort to crank the car.

1924 W. M. Raine Troubled Waters vi. 59 Silently she watched him crank the car and drive away.

b. intransitive. To turn a crank, as in starting a motor engine.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > operate internal-combustion engine [verb (intransitive)] > by crank

crank1909

1909 F. R. Jones Gas Engine 183 The cranking should be done immediately after the gas is turned on.

1909 F. R. Jones Gas Engine 183 Then crank up to a fair speed and close the switch.

1929 J. B. Priestley Good Compan. i. v. 194 The car refused to start again. She cranked away until she was breathless and aching.

c. figurative.

ΚΠ

a1910 ‘O. Henry’ Rolling Stones (1916) 192 The proprietor..was cranking the cash register.

1956 H. Gold Man who was not with It (1965) xi. 92 Andy..starts to crank out the story of his life.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

crankv.²

Etymology: Apparently onomatopoeic, having associations with clank , and with croak , creak ; compare clank v. Compare also northern dialect cronk n. to croak.

intransitive. To make a harsh, jarring, or grating sound. (Also quasi-transitive with cognate object.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > harsh or discordant quality > harsh or discordant [verb (intransitive)]

yerrOE

discorda1398

jangle1494

missoundc1500

jara1529

jarglec1550

harsh1582

chide1594

caterwaul1621

murr1662

wrangle1816

girl1820

crank1827

saxophone1927

1827 J. Clare Shepherd's Cal. 31 The solitary crane..Cranking a jarring melancholy cry.

1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words Crank..(5) to creak. North.

a1851 D. M. Moir Snow in Poet. Wks. (1852) xiv Voiceless, except where, cranking, rings, The skater's curve along, The demon of the ice.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2021).

n.¹c1000

n.²1552

n.³1567

n.⁴1786

adj.¹adv.1398

adj.²1696

adj.³a1745

v.¹1594

v.²1827

单词	crank
释义	crankn.¹ Brit. /kraŋk/, U.S. /kræŋk/ Forms: Old English cranc-, Middle English–1600s cranke, 1600s– crank. Etymology: Old English cranc in cranc-stæf, Middle English crank(e, a word rarely exemplified before the 17th cent. Apparently an ablaut-derivative of the verb crinc-an, cranc, crunc-en, found (but very rare) in Old English as a by-form of cring-an, crang, crung-en to fall in battle, of which the primitive meaning appears to have been ‘to draw oneself together in a bent form, to contract oneself stiffly, curl up’. These verbs are not known elsewhere in Germanic; but numerous derivatives occur in the other languages, connected with the two notions of ‘to bend together, crook, curl up’, and ‘to shrink, give way, become weak or ill’. English crank belongs to the literal sense-group, with the primary notion of something bent together or crooked; German and Dutch krank adjective ‘sick’, formerly ‘weak, slight, small,’ shows the figurative development. 1. A portion of an axis bent at right angles, used to communicate motion, or to change reciprocal into rotary motion, or the converse. a. In early times chiefly used as a handle or treadle to turn a revolving axis by hand or foot. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > parts of tools generally > [noun] > handle > of specific tool crankc1000 steal1377 pipe1397 pot-hook1397 shaft1530 fork-shafta1642 bell-handle1768 hasp1770 fettle1812 panhandle1890 c1000 Gerefa in Anglia IX. 263 Wulcamb, cip, amb, crancstæf. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 100 Cranke, instrument, cirillus (K.H.P. girgillus [= a reel for winding thread]). c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 100 Cranke of a welle, haustrum, haustra. 1617 J. Minsheu Ἡγεμὼν είς τὰς γλῶσσας: Ductor in Linguas The Cranke or winch of a Well, L. Haustrum. 1660 ‘R. D'Acres’ Art Water-drawing 11 Winches or cranks of wood or iron are also fitted to men's hands, thereby to make a round motion. 1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. x. 188 [The fly wheel of the lathe] hath an Iron Axis with a Crook or Cranck at one end. 1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. xiv. 244 Crank, the end of an Iron Axis turned Square down, and again turned Square to the first turning down, so that on the last turning down a Leather Thong is slip't, to Tread the Treddle-wheel about. 1735 Philos. Trans. 1733–4 (Royal Soc.) 38 403 A crank [of a pump] does not rise quite one third of its circle. 1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Crank, (1) the handle of a turnip-slicer, a ‘blower’, a grindstone, or any similar machine. b. Later, as a device for converting circular into reciprocal motion, and now chiefly (as in the steam engine) reciprocal into circular motion. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > converters > cranks winch1660 wince1688 crank1728 swingle1787 throw-crank1858 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Crank, a Contrivance in Machines, in manner of an Elbow..projecting out from an Axis, or Spindle; and serving by its Rotation, to raise and fall the Pistons of Engines for raising Water, &c. 1731 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 37 6 A quadruple Crank of cast iron. 1766 Barber Specif. Patent 865 6 Three cylinders..work a treble or other crank. 1771 Watt Let. in Muirhead W.'s Mech. Invent. (1854) II. 17 A crank of a sufficient sweep will be by much the sweetest motion. 1780 Pickard Specif. Patent 1263 A. B. represents a lever commonly called a crank..the pin of which crank is inserted into the end of a spear or carrier. 1862 S. Smiles Lives Engineers III. 85 The connecting-rods gave the motion to two pinions by cranks at right angles to each other. attributive.1808 Watt in Muirhead W.'s Mech. Invent. III. 37 The true inventor of the crank rotative motion was the man..that first contrived the common foot lathe. 2. An elbow-shaped device in bell-hanging, whereby the rectilineal motion communicated to a bell-wire is changed in its direction, usually at right angles, as from horizontal to vertical or the reverse. ΚΠ 1760 W. Mountaine in Philos. Trans. 1759 (Royal Soc.) 51 288 I found the bell-wire..to be intirely melted..but the effect ceased at the crank, which transmitted it to the chamber adjoining. 3. An elbow-shaped support or bracket. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > support > [noun] > that which supports > angle-bracket bracket1627 fid1644 angle bracket1733 crank1769 angle bar1793 gusset18.. angle iron1819 angle plate1850 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Crank, is..an iron brace which supports the lanthorns on the poop-quarters. 1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 201 A semi-cylinder of wirework, balanced in its proper situation by means of two arms, or cranks. 1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 112 Cranks, pieces of iron shaped as an elbow, etc., and attached to the beams of the quarter-deck for the capstan-bars to be stowed thereon. 4. A machine for the punishment of criminals sentenced to hard labour, consisting of a revolving disc to which a regulated pressure can be applied, and which the prisoner is required to turn a certain number of times each day. ΘΚΠ society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > prison > [noun] > instruments of punishment in > revolving disc crank1847 1847 2nd Rep. Surveyor of Prisons 12 Means should exist of rendering the discipline..more stringent..by placing crank machinery in the cells. 1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Crank, (2) a machine used in some prisons for finding employment for refractory prisoners. There was one in the now disused prison at Kirton-in-Lindsey. 5. Scottish. = cramp n.² 4b. ΚΠ 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Crank, an iron attached to the feet in curling, to prevent sliding on the ice. Compounds crank-arm n. ΚΠ 1889 P. N. Hasluck Model Engineer's Handybk. ii. 14 The bed-plate is..cut away to allow the crank-arm and cross-head to pass. 1911 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 1005/1 In a turning piece, the perpendicular let fall from its connected point upon its axis of rotation is the arm or crank-arm. 1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 25/1 A flexible brush should be used to brush away any dust..at both ends of the crank arms. crank-and-comb n. a contrivance for stripping the carded cotton from a carding-engine. ΚΠ 1836 A. Ure Cotton Manuf. Great Brit. II. 35 This is the crank-and-comb contrivance..This elegant instrument takes off the cotton in a fine transparent fleece. crank-axle n. (a) the driving-axle of an engine or machine; (b) a carriage axle with the ends bent twice at a right angle, so as to lower the carriage-body and yet allow the use of large wheels (see cranked adj.). ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > axle > types of crank-axle1725 floating axle1907 tandem axle1956 tag axle1971 society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > axle axle-treec1400 axisa1620 arbor1659 ax-tree1659 axle1730 turning-beam1766 stud centre1851 stub-axle1875 crank-axle1887 banjo axle1922 1725 J. T. Desaguliers Course Exper. Philos. (1744) II. 516 [The wheels] are fitted to crank axles, by which improvement the [Fire] engine runs upon larger Wheels, without raising the Cistern. 1887 Viscount Bury & G. L. Hillier Cycling (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) xiii. 377 Geared by chains to fixed pulleys on the crank-axle. crank-case n. the case or covering in which the crank-shaft of a motor engine is enclosed. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > other parts thermo-siphon1834 crank-case1878 manifolda1884 hot tube1889 sump1894 hit-and-miss governor1897 engine pit1903 retard1903 head1904 gasket1915 gravity tank1917 cylinder block1923 transfer case1923 swirl chamber1934 manifolding1938 ignition switch1952 catalytic converter1955 small block1963 cat1988 1878 Technol. Dict. (ed. 3) 175/2 Crank-case, das Kurbelhelft, das Kurbelfutteral. 1900 Autocar 29 Sept. 932/2 Working upon a pin secured to the crank case, is a second and larger pinion wheel. 1904 Motor Boat 29 Sept. 228/1 Lamp oil is a rather imprudent thing to carry aboard, as some unwise friend may mistake it for engine lubricant and put a charge or two into the crank-case. 1920 Cornhill Mag. Sept. 311 For forgetting to put any oil in the crank-case, he was stopped fourteen days' pay. 1949 Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) ii. 11 Crankcase sump, that portion of the engine in which lubricating oil is collected and led to the oil pumping system. crank-chamber n. (see quot. 1902). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > other parts > [noun] > cylinders > parts of spigot1889 crank-chamber1902 1902 R. J. Mecredy in A. C. Harmsworth et al. Motors & Motor-driving (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) vii. 135 The crank chamber, or base chamber, as it is usually termed, forms the base of the cylinder. 1904 Motor Boat 22 Sept. 215/2 Each cylinder has a bore of 90 mm…; both are cast together..and are mounted on a cast iron crank chamber. 1922 Times 20 June 8/5 The cylinders are cast in one with the crank-chamber, a practice forgivable in a low-priced chassis. crank-hatches n. (see quot.). ΚΠ 1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Crank-hatches are raised coamings on a steamer's deck, to form coverings for the cranks of the engines below. crank-hook n. the rod which connects the treadle and the crank in a foot-lathe. crank-joint n. ΚΠ 1839 Knickerbocker Mag. 13 346 He..commenced..oiling the piston-rod and crank-joints. crank-pin n. the pin by which the connecting-rod is attached to the crank. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > [noun] > parts of > pins crank-pin1839 piston pin1853 cross-head pin1887 1839 R. S. Robinson Naut. Steam Engine Explained 86 The crank pin is of wrought-iron. 1849 J. Weale Rudim. Dict. Terms Archit. i. 126/2 Crank-pin, the cylindrical piece joining the ends of the crank-arms, and attached to the connecting-rod, or, in vibrating engines, to the piston-rod: if the crank has only one arm, the pin projects from the end of it. crank-pit n. a pit in which a crank revolves. ΚΠ 1893 Daily News 17 Oct. 3/5 The body of the deceased was found in the crank pit. crank-shaft n. the shaft driven by a crank. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > shaft > [noun] > others axle-tree1659 axle-shaft1837 propeller shaft1839 crank-shaft1854 sub-shaft1859 driveshaft1860 half-time shaft1861 cardan joint1868 line shafting1872 thrusting-shaft1906 1854 E. Ronalds & T. Richardson Knapp's Chem. Technol. (ed. 2) I. 147 The rotation of the crank-shaft will put in motion the bevel-wheels. crank-wheel n. a wheel which acts as a crank; esp. one having near its circumference a pin to which the end of a connecting-rod is attached as to a crank-pin; a disc-crank. ΚΠ 1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 54 Crank-wheel, for spinning of lines, box-cord, etc. is fixed on an iron spindle. Draft additions March 2006 slang (originally U.S.). An amphetamine drug, esp. methamphetamine. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > an intoxicating drug > [noun] > stimulant drug(s) > specific stimulant drugs amyl nitrite1881 Methedrine1939 Dexedrine1942 benzylpiperazine1947 dexamphetamine1949 dextro-amphetamine1949 methamphetamine1949 Drinamyl1950 benny1955 dexie1956 purple heart1961 crystal1964 French blue1964 meth1966 speed1967 splash1967 purple1968 crank1969 crystal meth1969 crystal methamphetamine1970 dex1984 ice1989 BZP1997 tik2004 1969 ETC. June 173 Crank, crink, cris, cristina—methamphetamine in powdered form. 1986 D. M. Martin in D. M. Martin & P. Y. Sussman Committing Journalism (1993) i. 40 Honey Bear was known to shoot a load of ‘crank’ and go walking down a tier advertising favors at every cell he passed. 1996 Afro-Amer. Red Star (Electronic ed.) 30 Mar. a1 Widespread smoking of crank was at one time restricted to Mexico and Hawaii, but is now prevalent on the West Coast. 2003 Time Out N.Y. 3 Apr. 155/1 Methamphetamine was created in the Land of the Rising Sun in 1919, but the good ol' U. S. of A. has perfected crank and turned it into a booming industry. Draft additions June 2016 crankset n. U.S. a component of the drive mechanism of a bicycle consisting of one or more chain rings and two centrally mounted cranks to which the pedals are attached; cf. chainset n. at chain n. Additions. ΚΠ 1921 Boys' Life May 31 (advt.) Seamless steel tubing; drop forged parts; two-piece crank set;..and the best equipment make Iver Johnson the King of Bicycles. 1972 Pop. Mech. June 52 d Newer cranksets have ball bearings in a nylon race, so they wont fall out all over the place. 2005 G. Andrews Mountain Bike Maintenance x. 153/2 Removing the crankset is simple. It requires no special crank pullers or wrenchers. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022). crankn.² Brit. /kraŋk/, U.S. /kræŋk/ Forms: Also 1500s–1600s cranck(e. Etymology: Of the same origin as crank n.¹, and possibly the same word, with the original sense ‘crooking, crook’; but the two words had been differentiated before the earliest instances of this. 1. a. A crook, bend, winding, meandering; a winding or crooked path, course, or channel. ΘΠ the world > space > shape > curvature > series of curves > [noun] > winding curve(s) folda1250 windinga1387 wrinkling1387 revolution?a1425 wrinkle1430 crink1567 crank1572 cringle-crangle1573 crinkle1596 crankle1598 crinkle-crankle1598 meander1603 anfractuosity1612 ins and outs1655 sinuationa1676 insinuationa1684 anfractus1719 sinuosity1720 flexuosity1737 evolution1765 cringle1808 wriggle1825 voluminosity1841 squiggle1902 the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > [noun] > indirectness of course > moving in winding course > instance of or a winding course windinga1387 anfractus?a1425 ambage1537 crank1572 error1594 indenture1598 maze1598 meander1631 circumvolution1633 anfracture1657 1572 J. Jones Benefit Bathes of Buckstones f. 12 Bowling in allayes..eyther in playne or longe allayes, or in suche as haue Cranckes with halfe bowles. 1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 9 How he might easely winde out of the turnings and cranckes of the Labyrinthe. 1580 T. North tr. Plutarch Lives (1676) 846 Aratus..was out of his path he should have found..and with many crooks and cranks went to the foot of the Castle. a1599 E. Spenser Canto Mutabilitie vii. lii, in Faerie Queene (1609) sig. Ii3 So many turning cranks these [the planets] haue, so many crookes. 1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. xxii. xxxv. 413 a [Anniball] woon the verie tops of the Alpes, through by-lanes and blind crankes. a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) i. i. 135 The Crankes and Offices of man, The strongest Nerues, and small inferiour Veines. View more context for this quotation a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) i. ii. 28 Meete you no ruine, but the Soldier in The Cranckes, and turnes of Thebs? View more context for this quotation a1640 T. Risdon Chorogr. Surv. Devon (1811) (modernized text) 63 Exe..runneth a long course with his crooked cranks. 1909 M. B. Saunders Litany Lane i. v A glimpse..of grey west tower half hidden by high buildings, then reappearing by some quaint crank of street or turning. †b. figurative. A crooked or deceitful way; a deceit, wile, sleight. Obsolete. ΘΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > [noun] > a trick, deception wrenchc888 swikec893 braida1000 craftOE wile1154 crookc1175 trokingc1175 guile?c1225 hocket1276 blink1303 errorc1320 guileryc1330 sleightc1340 knackc1369 deceitc1380 japec1380 gaudc1386 syllogism1387 mazec1390 mowa1393 train?a1400 trantc1400 abusionc1405 creekc1405 trickc1412 trayc1430 lirtc1440 quaint?a1450 touch1481 pawka1522 false point?1528 practice1533 crink1534 flim-flamc1538 bobc1540 fetcha1547 abuse1551 block1553 wrinklec1555 far-fetch?a1562 blirre1570 slampant1577 ruse1581 forgery1582 crank1588 plait1589 crossbite1591 cozenage1592 lock1598 quiblin1605 foist1607 junt1608 firk1611 overreach?1615 fob1622 ludification1623 knick-knacka1625 flam1632 dodge1638 gimcrack1639 fourbe1654 juggle1664 strategy1672 jilt1683 disingenuity1691 fun1699 jugglementa1708 spring1753 shavie1767 rig?1775 deception1794 Yorkshire bite1795 fakement1811 fake1829 practical1833 deceptivity1843 tread-behind1844 fly1861 schlenter1864 Sinonism1864 racket1869 have1885 ficelle1890 wheeze1903 fast one1912 roughie1914 spun-yarn trick1916 fastie1931 phoney baloney1933 fake-out1955 okey-doke1964 mind-fuck1971 1588 J. Harvey Discoursiue Probl. conc. Prophesies 68 To occupie..the commons..by flimflams, wily cranks, and sleightie knacks of the maker. 1614 D. Dyke Myst. Selfe-deceiuing ii. 16 A cunning cranke of deepe and deuilish deceitfulnesse. 1644 J. Milton Doctr. Divorce (ed. 2) To Parl. sig. A4 The waies of the Lord, strait and faithfull..not full of cranks and contradictions. †2. a. A tortuous or somewhat inaccessible hole or crevice; a cranny. Obsolete. Π 1562 J. Heywood Sixt Hundred Epigrammes c, in Wks. sig. Ee Suche crankis, such cony holes. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 274 The root is giuen to haue cranks and holes, and those full of mud or durt. 1612 W. Parkes Curtaine-drawer 10 Exclude the light from the crankes and cranies of our chambers. b. Sometimes used as = Chink, crevice, crack: but probably by confusion with crack and cranny. ΘΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > chink, crevice, or cleft chinec888 cleftc1374 crevice1382 crannyc1440 crack1530 crannel1534 chink1552 crank1552 gash1575 chaum1601 chawn1601 fissure1609 case1778 1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Crannye or cranke in an earthen potte, ignea. 1861 C. Norton Lady of La Garaye Prol. 47 There daylight peeps through many a crank. c. figurative. Π 1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine Citie of God ii. xvii. 80 There is no cranke, no secret, in all these tongues, but he hath searcht it out. 1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. lxxxiii. sig. Y7^v The politicke heart is too full of crankes, and angles, for the discovery of a plain familiar. 3. A twist or fanciful turn of speech; a humorous turn, a verbal trick or conceit. Usually in quips and cranks, after Milton. Also, anything fantastic in behaviour, gesture, or action. ΘΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > wit, wittiness > wit with words > [noun] > instance of crank1594 wits, fits, and fancies1595 jerk1598 quirk1600 tongue-squib1628 dictery1632 repartee1637 quip1645 good thing1671 bon mot1735 a play on (also upon) words1761 sally1781 wordplay1794 southboarda1805 mot1813 smartism1830 1594 2nd Rep. Dr. Faustus vi. sig. D Such cranks, such lifts, careers and gambalds. 1645 J. Milton L'Allegro in Poems 31 Quips and Cranks, and wanton Wiles. 1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Crank..3. Any conceit formed by twisting or changing, in any manner, the form or meaning of a word. 1805 T. Moore To Lady H. v To play at riddles, quips, and cranks. a1822 P. B. Shelley Witch of Atlas li, in Posthumous Poems (1824) 46 Many quips and cranks She played upon the water. 1873 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens IV. xix. vi. 37 Wolsey was driven to quips and cranks which made the King suspect him. 4. An eccentric notion or action; a mental twist put into practice; a crotchet, whim, caprice. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [noun] > slight madness > crankiness or eccentricity > idea worm?a1534 frenzy1632 twist1811 fad1834 fantod1839 crank1848 marotte1852 faddity1892 1848 E. Bulwer-Lytton Harold II. vi. i. 72 These be new cranks, with a vengeance; we shall be choosing German, or Saracen, or Norman next. 18.. T. Carlyle in N. Webster Suppl. Subject to sudden cranks; a headlong, very positive, loud, dull, and angry kind of man. 1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 7 June 6/1 The son..does not share what he probably deems the ‘crank’ of his sire. 5. colloquial (originally U.S.). A person with a mental twist; one who is apt to take up eccentric notions or impracticable projects; esp. one who is enthusiastically possessed by a particular crotchet or hobby; an eccentric, a monomaniac. [This is probably a back-formation < cranky adj.¹ 4.] Also attributive and in other combinations. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [noun] > slight madness > crankiness or eccentricity > person fantastical1589 fantastic1598 earwig brain1599 extravagant1627 fanatic1644 energumen1660 original1675 toy-pate1702 gig1777 quiz1780 quoz?1780 rum touch1800 crotcheteer1815 pistol1828 eccentric1832 case1833 originalist1835 cure1856 crotchet-monger1874 curiosity1874 crank1881 crackpot1883 faddist1883 schwärmer1884 hard case1892 finger1899 mad hatter1905 nut1908 numéro1924 screwball1933 wack1938 fruitcake1942 odd bod1942 oddball1943 ghoster1953 raver1959 kook1960 flake1968 woo-woo1972 zonky1972 wacko1977 headbanger1981 1833 in J. P. Dunn Indiana (1919) II. 1124 Uncle Sam's ‘Old Mother Bank’ Is managed by a foreign crank. 1881 Times 22 Dec. 3/4 Guiteau continued, ‘You have got a lot of stuff there. It is not in your handwriting. I guess it must have been contributed by some crank.’ 1882 Pall Mall Gaz. 14 Jan. 4/1 Persons whom the Americans since Guiteau's trial have begun to designate as ‘cranks’—that is to say, persons of disordered mind, in whom the itch of notoriety supplies the lack of any higher ambition. 1889 Longman's Mag. May 28 It is the brightness of enthusiasm. Every crank has such eyes. 1889 G. B. Shaw in Star 6 Dec. 2/4 I moved amidst cranks, Bohemians, unbelievers, agitators, and.. riff-raff of all sorts. 1906 Nature 8 Nov. 25/2 A crank is defined as a man who cannot be turned. These men are all cranks. 1924 G. B. Stern Tents of Israel vii. 97 Danny remained at his crank school in Hampstead. 1934 D. Thomas Let. Jan. (1987) 40 Don't think I'm regaling you with some crank-ridden, pornographic notion. 1934 H. G. Wells Exper. in Autobiogr. I. v. 261 The normal Fabian gathering had a real horror of the ‘currency Crank’, as it termed anyone who ventured to say that money has ways and tricks of its own. 1949 A. Koestler Promise & Fulfilm. ii. v. 274 More crank visitors. Among them a German who cures diseases by soul-waves and mana. 1961 M. Spark Prime of Miss Jean Brodie i. 7 It has been suggested again that I should apply for a post at one of the progressive schools... But I shall not apply for a post at a crank school. 1968 D. Hopkinson Incense-tree iii. 29 As I went to a crank school, it followed that some of the parents of my friends should be cranks. 6. dialect. [Apparently belongs chiefly to this word, with sense of ‘something wrong’ (compare wrong n.² < wring to twist, French tort < Latin tortus); but a physical comparison of pains or spasms to crank action is also possible.] ΚΠ 1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words 1888 B. Lowsley Gloss. Berks. Words & Phrases Cranks, aches and slight ailments. A person is said to be full of ‘crinks and cranks’ when generally complaining of ill-health. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022). † crankn.³ Forms: Also 1500s crainke. Etymology: apparently < Dutch or German krank sick, ill; also formerly in German as noun, ‘one that is sick or ill’. (The 16th cent. vagabonds' cant contains words taken directly from continental languages.) Thieves' slang. Obsolete. (In full, counterfeit crank.) A rogue who feigned sickness in order to move compassion and get money. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > poverty > mendicancy > [noun] > beggar > begging impostor > who feigns sickness crank1567 1567 T. Harman Caueat for Commen Cursetors (new ed.) sig. Dii^v These that do counterfet the Cranke be yong knaues and yonge harlots, that depely dissemble the falling sicknes. For the Cranke in their language is the fallyng euyll..Ther came earely in the morninge a Counterfet Cranke vnder my lodgynge..thys Cranke there lamentably lamenting. a1590 Marriage Wit & Wisdom (1846) 13 She sent me the Counterfait crainke for to play. 1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 167 There are some counterfeit crankes..who vpon some occasion haue by meere knauery fained themselues such. 1624 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy (ed. 2) i. ii. iv. vi. 142 Iodocus Damhoderius..hath some notable examples of such counterfeit Crancks. a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Beggers Bush ii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Kk3^v/2 Jarkman, or Patrico, Cranke, or Clapperdudgeon. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2021). crankn.⁴ Etymology: Compare crank v.² Scottish. A harsh or grating sound. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > harsh or discordant quality > [noun] > sound ganglinga1387 noise?a1425 jarring1555 jangling1581 discord1589 caterwauling1594 latration1623 tingle-tanglea1635 jar1669 crank1786 jangle1795 discordancy1796 inharmony1799 discordance1801 parrot-house1850 soundclash1925 ear-bender1940 1786 R. Burns Poems 27 When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks Are my poor Verses! 1800 Gloss. to Burns (Jam.) Crank, the noise of an ungreased wheel. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2021). crankadj.¹adv. Brit. /kraŋk/, U.S. /kræŋk/ Forms: Also 1500s–1600s cranck(e. Etymology: Of obscure origin: not easily connected with the other adjectives and nouns of same spelling. A. adj.¹ †1. Rank, lusty, vigorous, in good condition. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > resistant to disease, etc. strongeOE stalworthc1175 starka1250 stiff1297 stalworthyc1300 vigorousc1330 stoura1350 lustyc1374 marrowya1382 sturdyc1386 crank1398 robust1490 vigorious1502 stalwart1508 hardy1548 robustious1548 of force1577 rustical1583 marrowed1612 rustic1620 robustic1652 solid1741 refractory1843 salted1864 resistant1876 saulteda1879 the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > healthy wholeeOE isoundOE i-sundfulc1000 ferec1175 soundc1175 fish-wholea1225 forthlyc1230 steadfasta1300 wella1300 safec1300 tidya1325 halec1330 quartc1330 well-faringc1330 well-tempered1340 well-disposeda1398 wealyc1400 furnished1473 mighty?a1475 quartful?c1475 good1527 wholesomea1533 crank1548 healthful1550 healthy1552 hearty1552 healthsome1563 well-affected?1563 disposed1575 as sound as a bell1576 firm1577 well-conditioned1580 sound1605 unvaletudinary1650 all right1652 valid1652 as sound as a (alsoany) roach1655 fair-like1663 hoddy1664 wanton1674 stout?1697 trig1704 well-hained1722 sprack1747 caller1754 sane1755 finely1763 bobbish1780 cleverly1784 right1787 smart1788 fine1791 eucratic1795 nobbling1825 as right as a trivet1835 first rate1841 in fine, good, high, etc., feather1844 gay1855 sprackish1882 game ball1905 abled1946 well-toned1952 a hundred per cent1960 oke1960 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) xi. xi. 396 Snowe nourysshyth and fedyth good herbes, and makyth theym cranke. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark ii. f. 20 He who was a litle before bedred..was now cranke and lustie. 1660 J. Howell Lex. Tetraglotton To Tru Philol. [The English language alters] sometimes the sense of the words which she borrows; as she useth crank for being lively and well, whereas 'tis sick in Dutch. 2. Lively, brisk, in high spirits; lusty, sprightly, merry; aggressively high-spirited, disposed to exult or triumph, ‘cocky’. Now dialect and in U.S. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > pleasure > merriment > [adjective] blitheOE merryOE golikc1175 lustya1225 playfulc1225 jollyc1305 merrya1350 jocund?c1380 galliardc1386 in (also on) a (merry, etc.) pinc1395 mirthfula1400 baudec1400 gayc1400 jovy1426 jocantc1440 crank1499 envoisiesa1500 as merry as a cricket1509 pleasant1530 frolic?1548 jolious1575 gleeful1586 buxom1590 gleesome1590 festival1592 laughter-loving1592 disposed1593 jucund1596 heartsomec1600 jovial1607 jovialist1610 laughsome1612 jocundary1618 gaysome1633 chirpinga1637 jovialissime1652 airy1654 festivous1654 hilarous1659 spleneticala1661 cocket1671 cranny1673 high1695 vogie1715 raffing?1719 festal1724 as merry (or lively) as a grig1728 hearty1755 tittuping1772 festive1774 fun-loving1776 mirthsome1787 Falstaffian1809 cranky1811 laughful1825 as lively as a cricket1832 hurrah1835 hilarious1838 Bacchic1865 laughterful1874 griggish1879 banzai1929 slap-you-on-the-back1932 the mind > emotion > pride > self-assertiveness > [adjective] crousea1400 crank1499 cockish1551 forward1561 forthyc1565 forthputting?1577 perching1579 perk1579 perking?1584 officious1596 pratchant1596 putting-forth1621 obtrusive1652 petulcous1661 pushing1682 coxy1728 cocky1768 bumptious1801 furthy1808 upsetting1817 perky1820 self-asserting1821 protrusive1841 self-assertive1849 aggressive1855 self-assertory1867 perkisha1870 pushful1871 pushy1874 forritsome1894 chesty1900 the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adjective] > lively, vivacious, or animated jollyc1325 lightsomea1382 kedgec1440 fledge?1461 crank1499 frisky?a1500 sprightya1522 frisk1528 sprightful1550 quick-spirited1552 cranking1567 lively1567 quick-sprighted1579 aleger1590 bright-eyed1590 firking1594 sprightly1594 spirituous1601 great-stomached1607 spirity1615 spiritous1628 lifesomec1635 vivacious1645 rattlingc1650 quick-set1653 airy1654 animated1660 sparklinga1704 bob1721 vivace1721 animate1801 high-lifed1859 sassy1859 chippy1865 sparky1883 high-keyed1893 high life1903 peppy1914 pepful1915 jazzy1917 upbeat1947 zappy1969 sparkly1979 1499 Promptorium Parvulorum (Pynson) sig. di^v/2 Corage or cranke, crassus, coragiosus. c1525 Bk. Mayd Emlyn sig. B.ii She was full ranke And of condycyons cranke And redy was alwaye. 1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. sig. D.iiij The Scottes..shewed themselfes vpon sundry bruntes, very cranke & brag. 1592 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) vii. xxxvii. 161 Princes Fauoures often make the fauored too cranke. 1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. H2 This man at Armes, has..some friend in a corner, or else hee durst not bee so cranke. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Ioyeux As crank as a Cocke Sparrow. 1655 W. Gurnall Christian in Armour: 1st Pt. 303 Would not our blood much more grow too rank, and we too crank and wanton, if we should feed long on such luscious food? a1677 I. Barrow Serm. Several Occasions (1678) 453 It becometh them..to be jocund and crank in their humour. a1716 R. South 12 Serm. (1717) VI. 23 How came they to grow so extremely Crank and Confident? 1736 S. Pegge Alphabet of Kenticisms Crank, merry, cheery. 1856 H. B. Stowe Dred I. 317 If you strong electioners didn't think you were among the elect, you wouldn't be so crank about it. 1860 J. G. Holland Miss Gilbert's Career xxi. 385 We feel pretty crank about having a book writer here in Crampton. †B. adv. Boldly, briskly, lustily. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [adverb] hardlyeOE strongeOE hardOE fastOE starklyOE stalworthlyc1175 starkc1225 mainlyc1300 fellc1330 snellc1330 stout1338 wightlya1340 sadlya1375 sharplyc1380 tough1398 stoutly1399 throa1400 wighta1400 lustilyc1400 sorec1400 vigourslyc1400 stiff1422 vigoriouslya1450 vigorouslya1450 actuallya1470 stourlyc1480 forcely?a1500 lustly1529 fricklyc1540 dingilya1555 livelily?1565 crankly1566 forcibly1578 crank1579 wightily?a1600 proudly1600 energetically1609 stiffly1623 ding-dong1628 greenly1633 hard and fast1646 slashingly1659 thwackingly1660 warmlya1684 robustly1709 sonsily1729 forcefullya1774 vim1843 zippily1924 vibrantly1926 punchily1934 zingily1951 1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 46 As cocke on his dunghill, crowing cranck. 1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne v. 197 Since thee he mates so cranke. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022). crankadj.² Brit. /kraŋk/, U.S. /kræŋk/ Etymology: Of obscure origin, appearing first in the combination crank-sided adj. The early explanations suggest association with the Dutch and Frisian krengd (of a ship) laid or lying over on its side, past participle of krengen, originally to apply pressure to, push over, spec. to lay or cause (a ship) to fall upon her side, e.g. in careening, also intransitive, to incline or lie on one side, as a ship does when her cargo shifts in the hold. See Dale, and Doornkaat Koolman Ostfries. Wbch. Possibly this foreign word was caught up, and confused with the native crank. Nautical. Liable to lean over or capsize: said of a ship when she is built too deep or narrow, or has not sufficient ballast to carry full sail. crank by the ground (see quots. 1696, 1704). ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel with reference to qualities or attributes > [adjective] > not seaworthy or unstable walt1539 crank-sided1626 crank1696 walty1702 over-floaty1705 lopsided1711 tender1723 innavigable1755 unseaworthy1820 sick1854 cranky1861 1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) at Crank A ship is said to be crank by the Ground when she is narrow-floor'd [1706 adds] so..that she cannot be brought on Ground, without danger of being overthrown, or at least of wringing her Sides. 1702 J. Logan in Mem. Hist. Soc. Pennsylvania (1870) IX. 82 Through a jealousy of the vessel being crank. 1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Crank, the Sea Term for a Ship that cannot bear her Sails, or can bear but a small Sail for fear of oversetting: and they say she is Crank by the Ground, when she cannot be brought on Ground without danger of overthrowing her. 1771 Ann. Reg. 1770 67/2 At present she is so cranke she cannot carry sail. 1849 H. W. Longfellow Building of Ship in Seaside & Fireside 9 Strangest of all, Towered the Great Harry, crank and tall. 1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xxiii. 380 That crank little boat with its top-heavy sails. figurative.1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle I. ii. 17 I have heard as how you came by your lame foot, by having your upper-decks overstowed with liquor, whereby you became crank, and rolled, d'ye see.1808 T. Moore Corruption & Intolerance 4 Things, which..Still serve to ballast, with convenient words, A few crank arguments for speeching Lords. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022). crankadj.³ Brit. /kraŋk/, U.S. /kræŋk/ Etymology: A group of senses connected with crank n.¹, crank n.² and cranky adj.¹ 1. ‘Crooked, distorted’ (Jamieson); angularly twisted or bent. Scottish. ΚΠ 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) Crooked, distorted, Aberd[eenshire], Mearns; as crank-handed, a crank hand. 1892 J. Mather Poems 252 There stood the old oak tree..No wonder he is crank and grim. †2. In figurative sense of ‘twisted, angular’; crabbed, awkward or difficult to pronounce, understand, or execute. Obsolete or Scottish. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > difficulty > [adjective] arvethc885 uneathOE arvethlichc1000 evilc1175 hardc1175 deara1225 derfa1225 illc1330 wickeda1375 uneasy1398 difficul?a1450 difficile?1473 difficulta1527 unready1535 craggy1582 spiny1604 tough1619 uphill1622 shrewda1626 spinousa1638 scabrous1646 spinose1660 rugged1663 cranka1745 tight1764 thraward1818 nasty1828 upstream1847 awkward1860 pricklyc1862 bristling1871 sticky1871 rocky1873 dodgy1898 challengeful1927 solid1943 ball-busting1944 challenging1975 a1745 J. Swift Direct. Birthday Song in Wks. (1765) VIII. ii. 156 A skilful critic justly blames Hard, tough, crank, gutt'ral, harsh, stiff names. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems Gloss. A crank job, a work attended with difficulty, or requiring ingenuity in the execution. 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) Hard, difficult; as, ‘a crank word’, a word hard to be understood. 3. Infirm, weak, shaky in health; = cranky adj.¹ 1 dialect. [Compare Dutch and German krank.] ΚΠ 1802 J. Sibbald Chron. Sc. Poetry Gloss. Crank, infirm, weak, in bad condition. 1881 S. Evans Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) Crank, sick, ailing. 4. Of machinery: In a loose, shaky, or crazy condition; out of order, working with difficulty; = cranky adj.¹ 3. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > types of machine generally > [adjective] > working with difficulty crank1833 cranky1862 1833 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus i. iii, in Fraser's Mag. Nov. 589/2 The machinery of laughter took some time to get in motion, and seemed crank and slack. 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. ii. i. 102 This Convention is unfortunately the crankest of machines. 1876 Times 11 Nov. 9/2 The crank machinery of the double government would..enfeeble every effort of the State. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022). crankv.¹ Brit. /kraŋk/, U.S. /kræŋk/ Etymology: < crank n.¹, crank n.², which yield a number of isolated senses. I. [ < crank n.² 1, 2] †1. intransitive. To twist and turn about; to move with a sharply winding course, to zigzag. Obsolete.Shakespeare's phr. to come cranking in is humorously echoed in the later quots. without regard to its strict sense. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > change of direction of movement > change direction of movement [verb (intransitive)] > move in winding course to turn and winda1398 wreathea1500 twine1553 indent1567 virea1586 crank1594 to dance the hay or hays1600 maze1605 serpent1606 to indent the way1612 cringlea1629 indenture1631 circumgyre1634 twist1635 glomerate1638 winda1682 serpentine1767 meander1785 zigzag1787 zag1793 to worm one's way1822 vandyke1828 crankle1835 thread the needle1843 switchback1903 rattlesnake1961 zig1969 1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Eiij The purblind hare..He crankes and crosses with a thousand doubles. 1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 iii. i. 95 See how this riuer comes me cranking in, And cuts me from the best of all my land, A huge halfe moone, a monstrous scantle out. View more context for this quotation 1830 M. R. Mitford Our Village IV. 325 Here and there, too, farm-houses and cottages, half hidden by cherry orchards..come cranking into the meadows. 1891 Sat. Rev. 12 Dec. 664/1 Here is Professor Finn Magnusen comes me cranking in..and gives a totally different rendering to the Runes. †2. transitive. To wrinkle minutely with parallel ridges and furrows, to crinkle. Also to crank in. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > corrugation > corrugate [verb (transitive)] > ridge > minutely crankle1594 crisp1632 crank1660 crimp1772 1660 J. Childrey Britannia Baconica 75 They were streaked and cranked like a Cockle-shell. 1660 J. Childrey Britannia Baconica 76 Other little stones..that were cranked in like a Cockle-shell, but deeper, and not so thick together. 1660 J. Childrey Britannia Baconica 78 There is an apparent difference between the Muscle stone, and the true Muscle of the sea, both in the shape..and in the cranking of it. 3. dialect. (See quots.) ΚΠ 1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words Crank..(4) to mark crossways on bread-and-butter to please a child. Kent. 1887 W. D. Parish & W. F. Shaw Dict. Kentish Dial. Crank, to mark cross-wise. II. [ < crank n.¹] 4. transitive. a. To bend in the shape of a crank, i.e. with two (or four) right angles; to make crankshaped. (Also, to crank down.) ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > angularity > make angular or furnish with angles or corners [verb (transitive)] > bend at an angle crank1793 knee1808 1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) 197 Each end was also cranked about an inch, so as to set the transverse part of the bars, clear of the copper sash frame. 1834 N. W. Cundy Inland Transit (ed. 2) 56 The axle of the greater wheels is cranked. 1842 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 3 ii. 349 An excellent specimen of the low-chested cart, obtained by cranking down the axles. 1884 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (new ed.) 138 Tools are often cranked..without any idea of the object to be gained. b. To attach a crank to, furnish with a crank. 5. To fasten with a crank: see crank n.¹ 3. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > support > [verb (transitive)] > by other specific means crank1879 hand-hold1940 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 175/1 The edge-plate..should run from one extremity to the other, commencing at the hind bottom bar, on to which it should be cranked. 6. Scottish. To shackle (a horse). ΚΠ 1822 J. Hogg Three Perils of Man I. 267 As for the reward of presumption, it is in Scotland to be crankit before and kicked behind. 7. To lift or draw up by means of a crank. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > raising > make to go up or cause to rise [verb (transitive)] > raise by mechanical instrument > with a winch, crank, etc. to wind upc1275 winch1529 upwind1600 parbuckle1768 crank1883 whorl1886 to turn up1911 1883 Lathrop in Harper's Mag. Aug. 332/1 He..cranks his prey up [a steep incline] at the rate of 2000 people a day. 8. a. To move or operate (a motor engine) by a crank. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > operate internal-combustion engine [verb (transitive)] > by crank crank1908 1908 Smart Set June 91 The chauffeur..jumped out, and began to crank her up. 1909 F. R. Jones Gas Engine 181 Small motors are ‘cranked’ or otherwise turned by hand. 1909 F. R. Jones Gas Engine 184 Until the motor has been cranked up to high speed. 1920 V. W. Pagé Automobile Starting (ed. 6) 424 If the starting motor rotates but does not crank the engine. 1920 V. W. Pagé Automobile Starting (ed. 6) 453 And still the starting motor makes no effort to crank the car. 1924 W. M. Raine Troubled Waters vi. 59 Silently she watched him crank the car and drive away. b. intransitive. To turn a crank, as in starting a motor engine. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > machines which impart power > engine > internal-combustion engine > operate internal-combustion engine [verb (intransitive)] > by crank crank1909 1909 F. R. Jones Gas Engine 183 The cranking should be done immediately after the gas is turned on. 1909 F. R. Jones Gas Engine 183 Then crank up to a fair speed and close the switch. 1929 J. B. Priestley Good Compan. i. v. 194 The car refused to start again. She cranked away until she was breathless and aching. c. figurative. ΚΠ a1910 ‘O. Henry’ Rolling Stones (1916) 192 The proprietor..was cranking the cash register. 1956 H. Gold Man who was not with It (1965) xi. 92 Andy..starts to crank out the story of his life. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2022). crankv.² Etymology: Apparently onomatopoeic, having associations with clank , and with croak , creak ; compare clank v. Compare also northern dialect cronk n. to croak. intransitive. To make a harsh, jarring, or grating sound. (Also quasi-transitive with cognate object.) ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > harsh or discordant quality > harsh or discordant [verb (intransitive)] yerrOE discorda1398 jangle1494 missoundc1500 jara1529 jarglec1550 harsh1582 chide1594 caterwaul1621 murr1662 wrangle1816 girl1820 crank1827 saxophone1927 1827 J. Clare Shepherd's Cal. 31 The solitary crane..Cranking a jarring melancholy cry. 1847–78 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words Crank..(5) to creak. North. a1851 D. M. Moir Snow in Poet. Wks. (1852) xiv Voiceless, except where, cranking, rings, The skater's curve along, The demon of the ice. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2021). < n.¹c1000n.²1552n.³1567n.⁴1786adj.¹adv.1398adj.²1696adj.³a1745v.¹1594v.²1827
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crankn.1

Compounds

Draft additions March 2006

Draft additions June 2016

crankn.2

† crankn.3

crankn.4

crankadj.1adv.

crankadj.2

crankadj.3

crankv.1

crankv.2

crankn.¹

crankn.²

† crankn.³

crankn.⁴

crankadj.¹adv.

crankadj.²

crankadj.³

crankv.¹

crankv.²